Only days before Britain declares war on Germany, Harry Clifton, hoping to escape the consequences of long-buried family secrets, and forced to accept that his desire to marry Emma Barrington will never be fulfilled, has joined the Merchant Navy. But his ship is sunk in the Atlantic by a German Uboat, drowning almost the entire crew. An American cruise liner, the SS Kansas Star, rescues a handful of sailors, among them Harry and the third officer, an American named Tom Bradshaw.

Best Kept Secret: The Clifton Chronicles, Book 3

Best Kept Secret opens a moment after the end of The Sins of the Father, with the resolution of the trial and the triumphant marriage of Harry Clifton and Elizabeth Barrington, finally uniting their family. Harry, now a best-selling novelist; Emma; their son, Sebastian; and orphaned Jessica make a new life for themselves, but all is not as happy and secure as it could be. Emma's brother, Giles, is engaged to a woman who may be more interested in Barrington's fortune and title than in a long and happy marriage.

Be Careful What You Wish For: The Clifton Chronicles, Book 4

Be Careful What You Wish For opens with Harry Clifton and his wife Emma rushing to the hospital to learn the fate of their son, Sebastian, who has been involved in a fatal car accident. But who died, Sebastian or his best friend Bruno? When Ross Buchanan is forced to resign as chairman of the Barrington Shipping Company, Emma Clifton wants to replace him. But Don Pedro Martinez intends to install his puppet, the egregious Major Alex Fisher, in order to destroy the Barrington family firm just as the company plans to build its new luxury liner, the MV Buckingham.

Only Time Will Tell: The Clifton Chronicles, Book 1

From the internationally best-selling author of Kane and Abel and A Prisoner of Birth comes Only Time Will Tell, the first in an ambitious new series that tells the story of one family across generations, across oceans, from heartbreak to triumph. The epic tale of Harry Clifton’s life begins in 1920, with the words "I was told that my father was killed in the war"....

Mightier than the Sword

Harry Clifton is more successful than ever as a novelist, and has just been elected president of PEN Britain. He learns of a writer in Russia whose memoir of life inside Stalin's palace has landed the writer in prison for life, his book taken off shelves and destroyed. Harry becomes obsessed with freeing the writer and telling his story. His wife Emma, meanwhile is the chair of Barringtons Shipping, having escaped a plot to destroy their company by bombing one of their luxury liners, and now the company is thriving.

Kane and Abel

William Lowell Kane and Abel Rosnovski, one the son of a Boston millionaire, the other a penniless polish immigrant-born on the same day near the turn of the century on opposite sides of the world-are brought together by fate and the quest of a dream. Two men - ambitious, powerful, ruthless - are locked in a relentless struggle to build an empire, fueled by their all-consuming hatred.

As the Crow Flies

When Charlie Trumper inherits the barrow his grandfather used to peddle fruit and vegetables in turn-of-the-century Whitechapel, England, he inherits his enterprising spirit as well. Charlie's deeply held ambition to raise himself out of the poverty of London's East End is destined to be realized, but there are many obstacles to overcome, including a tour of duty at the front in World War I, where he encounters the man who will become his lifelong enemy.

A Prisoner of Birth

One evening, Danny, an East End cockney who works as a garage mechanic, takes his girlfriend up to the West End to celebrate their engagement. He crosses the path of Spencer Craig, a West End barrister tipped to be the youngest Queen's Counsel of his generation. A few hours later Danny is arrested for murder and later is sentenced to 22 years in prison.

The Prodigal Daughter

With a will of steel, Polish immigrant Florentyna Rosnovski is indeed Abel's daughter. She shares with her father a love of America, his ideals, and his dream for the future. But she wants more to be the first female president. Golden boy Richard Kane was born into a life of luxury. The scion of a banking magnate he is successful, handsome, and determined to carve his own path in the world - and to build a future with the woman he loves. With Florentyna's ultimate goal only a heartbeat away, both are about to discover the shattering price of power as a titanic battle of betrayal and deception.

Shall We Tell the President?: Kane & Abel, Book 3

Florentyna Kane has finally become the first woman president in America. But on the very day that she is sworn into office, powerful forces are already in motion to take her life. The FBI investigates 1000s of false threats every year. This time, a reliable source has tipped them off about an assassination attempt. One hour later, the informant and all but one of the investigating agents are dead. The lone survivor: FBI Special Agent Mark Andrews. Now, only he knows when the killers will strike. But how can he alone unravel a ruthless conspiracy - in less than one week?

Sons of Fortune

In Hartford, Connecticut, in the late 1940's a set of twins is parted at birth - not by accident. During the 1950s and 1960s, the two brothers grow up apart, following similar paths that take them in different directions. At various times in their lives, both men are confronted with challenges and obstacles, tragedy and betrayal, loss and hardship, before they both decide to run for governor, unaware they are brothers...

False Impression

When an aristocratic old lady is brutally murdered in her English country home on the night before September 11, 2001, it will take all the resources of the FBI and Interpol to work out the connection between her death and a priceless Van Gogh, which is stolen that night.

First Among Equals

From strangers to rivals, four men embark on a journey for the highest stakes of all - the keys to No. 10 Downing Street. Unfolding over three decades, their honor will be tested, their loyalties betrayed, and their love of family and country challenged. But in a game where there is a first among equals, only one can triumph.

Paths of Glory: A Novel

Some people have dreams that are so magnificent that if they were to achieve them, their place in history would be guaranteed. People like Christopher Columbus, Isaac Newton, Florence Nightingale, Thomas Edison, Nancy Astor, Charles Lindbergh, Amy Johnson, Edmund Hilary and Neil Armstrong - their unparalleled success has made their stories into legend.But what if one man had such a dream, and once he'd achieved it, there was no proof that he had fulfilled his ambition?

Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less

What can an Oxford don, a respected society physician, a chic French art dealer, and a charming English lord have in common? Very little, except they've all been swindled out of every cent they had by Harvey Metcalfe, the man who wrote the book on international stock fraud. They haven't a prayer of ever seeing their money again. Or have they?

A Place Called Freedom

This lush novel, set in 1766 England and America, evokes an era ripe with riot and revolution, from the teeming streets of London to the sprawling grounds of a Virginia plantation. Mack McAsh burns with the desire to escape his life of slavery in Scottish coal mines while Lizzie Hallim is desperate to shed a life of sheltered subjugation to her spineless husband. United in America, their only chance for freedom lies beyond the Western frontier - if they're brave enough to take it.

Memory Man

Amos Decker's life changed forever - twice. The first time was on the gridiron. A big, towering athlete, he was the only person from his hometown of Burlington ever to go pro. But his career ended before it had a chance to begin. On his very first play, a violent helmet-to-helmet collision knocked him off the field for good and left him with an improbable side effect - he can never forget anything.

And Thereby Hangs a Tale

International best-selling author Jeffrey Archer has spent the last five years gathering spellbinding stories from around the globe. There are tales from India, Germany, the Channel Islands, England, Italy, and many other countries, all brought back with care. Some of these stories will make you laugh; others will bring you to tears, but, once again, every one of them will demand that you keep listening until you finally discover what happens to this remarkable cast of characters.

Radiant Angel

After a showdown with the notorious Yemeni terrorist known as The Panther, John Corey has left the Anti-Terrorist Task Force and returned home to New York City, taking a job with the Diplomatic Surveillance Group. Although Corey's new assignment with the DSG - surveilling Russian diplomats working at the UN Mission - is thought to be "a quiet end", he is more than happy to be out from under the thumb of the FBI and free from the bureaucracy of office life.

Publisher's Summary

On the heels of the international best seller Only Time Will Tell, Jeffrey Archer picks up the sweeping story of the Clifton Chronicles….

Only days before Britain declares war on Germany, Harry Clifton, hoping to escape the consequences of long-buried family secrets, and forced to accept that his desire to marry Emma Barrington will never be fulfilled, has joined the Merchant Navy. But his ship is sunk in the Atlantic by a German Uboat, drowning almost the entire crew. An American cruise liner, the SS Kansas Star, rescues a handful of sailors, among them Harry and the third officer, an American named Tom Bradshaw. When Bradshaw dies in the night, Harry seizes on the chance to escape his tangled past and assumes his identity.

But on landing in America, he quickly learns the mistake he has made, when he discovers what is awaiting Bradshaw in New York. Without any way of proving his true identity, Harry Clifton is now chained to a past that could be far worse than the one he had hoped to escape.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book..........in fact when this one came out I went back and reread the first one before starting the second..........and was glad I did. The first one was just as enjoyable the second time around.

Do not understand all of the negative reviews from people who object to being left hanging at the end. The author stated from the start that this work was a series that would be produced over a period of years so if you don't like that format then don't buy the first one!!!

The reader was excellent...........there were just a few voices that grated on me (Alistair!) but for the most part they were delightful.

First and foremost, I can't even recommend Book 2 without listening to or reading Book 1. I suppose it's possible to enjoy, but you'll get much more out of them by taking them in order.

Book 1 is very slow and long in character development. Book 2 picks up the action and character's on a riveting pace.

The series, which I understand is to be 6 Books, is a time capsule of the life and times of the characters on a fictitious base around historical times and events. The book really feels like a Ken Follett novel, which is a good thing to me.

Overall, I can't wait for Book 3, I expect it to be "Can't put down" as well.

Yet not enough to make me want the next installment. This is not to say this isn't a great read, it most certainly is.

The treachery of the villain is so complete it became tedious to listen too. And the continual, seemingly unending mountains and valleys of good and bad fortune and romance reminds me so much of Follet's Pillars of the Earth it seemed like I'd read it before.

Nevertheless the writing and narration are first rate. The characters are vivid and unforgettable.

Just as good as the first in the series - Only Time will Tell. Do get them in order for sure. The narrator is excellent, the characters compelling, the story line mesmerizing. Can't say enough good about it. Can't wait for the third installment due out in 2013!

I have been among many greatly anticipating the second book in the Clifton Chronicles and I am happy to report that it doesn't disappoint. I would say that The Sins of the Father is a faster moving and even more intriguing story then the first. The book jumps literally right as the first left off giving you answers to questions that we have been wondering about since the end of the first book. The Sins of the Father covers a lot of ground in terms of years, but once again ends with a nail biting cliffhanger that makes the wait for Book 3 even more difficult to bear.

What made the experience of listening to The Sins of the Father the most enjoyable?

After listening to "Time will tell" and "The Sins of our Fathers", I was a solid fan of Archer.This was a "cannot put it down" book and; therfore, I am very sad to say that I will not be listening to future books by Archer as I just can't stand the fact that each book ends with a "cliff hanger" so that you will feel obliged to purchase the next book in order to see what happens. Enjoyable books do not need such tricks to sway me to buy the next one. I follow the same authors over and over and can't wait for the next book to ocme out.

Jeffrey Archer's style is wearing very thin. In past books, his plots were much more believable and less reliant on melodrama. These characters are completely non-believable. For example, Emma has to be the most accomplished woman in history. Rising from nothing, gaining her way in all sorts of situations through her incredibly strong personality, picking up waitressing in two weeks, making her way to the United States by obtaining a three week only job on a ship and then finding her non-husband who is the father of her child, blah, blah blah. Even writing this plot makes me nauseous. The fact that this is going to be an ongoing five part series borders on theft. This series is one step above comic book level.

i love how involved i found myself in this story (as well as the first book), caring for the characters, feeling what they felt. their heartbreak through their triumph.

What did you like best about this story?

i enjoyed seeing how everyone gets what they deserved, whether they are a protag. or antag. the ending was a very satisfying conclusion to both books.

What about Alex Jennings and Emilia Fox ’s performance did you like?

alex was superb, and i enjoyed emilia's performance as well, though i kinda smiled to myself hearing her perform a texan accent. i'm from texas, and it was almost like myself trying to do a brittish accent. but they both acted out their (many) roles so well, that i found myself visually drawn in...that is to say that i could see these characters' actions in my mind.very well read on both accounts.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

i don't want to give specifics away, but somebody got what they deserved! lol

Any additional comments?

i have been generally listening to action/adventure books and legal thrillers, but these 2 books were a breath of fresh air. i want more! this story was very original, following characters from their childhood through adulthood. their lives and love are what i wish i had...i can't recommend this enough!

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